By: Ina Steiner

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eBay announced a new feature available on its mobile app that allows shoppers to customize their home page. If you have a feeling of deja vu, it's because eBay has tried this concept before. In October 2012, to much fanfare, eBay announced a new personalized home page.

"eBay announced a new logo and personalized home page in October to great fanfare, calling it "the new eBay." The homepage collage feature has been compared to Pinterest - you tell eBay your interests, and it shows you photos from newly added listings. Scroll your mouse over a photo, and you see the listing title, price and a "watch" button."

And in 2017, eBay announced a "Discovery-Based New Homepage." eBay CEO Devin Wenig explained in the announcement:

"Using structured data - a transformative step to drive discoverability of our vast inventory, insights into supply and demand, pricing trends, among other things - and artificial intelligence, we're creating a shopping experience that is tailored to each eBay user’s interests, passions and shopping history."

"Today, eBay announces the launch of Interests - a new feature that tailors your shopping experience based on your passions, hobbies, and style. The result is a more personalized eBay that uses technology to curate the world's largest selection of inventory, exclusively for you."

and:

"Through data and algorithms, eBay uncovered things people seek out every day and created hundreds of shopping themes – from streetwear to sports teams, home theater to Hello Kitty. Shoppers select what they’re interested in, and the new feature transforms their homepage with themes and items chosen just for them. And, with a nearly infinite number of Interests combinations, eBay now adapts to give everyone their own unique store."

eBay users have made it clear that they want basic functions to work before the company adds bells and whistles. On Monday we noted mobile shoppers were struggling recently with glitches that prevented them from sorting search results by time (key feature for collectors, bargain-hunters, and others), while buyers complained that their old purchase history began clogging up the mobile app with no way to remove them.

In addition to functionality, sellers want sales. With this latest change to its homepage, will eBay get more shoppers going to sellers' listings and buying?

by: FidoMaster

Thu May 17 10:23:29 2018

''eBay users have made it clear that they want basic functions to work before the company adds bells and whistles.''

Touché!

Fix the apps so they work properly before you spend effort on more gimmicks like whatever this gimmick is or the recent ridiculous goofy ''AI powered box size chooser'' that was expressly made for nothing more than an eBay press release with ''AI'' in the subject. Nicely done, congrats.

Does anyone use it? No, but it sure sounds cool

How about fixing the Android app for once and all so sellers can batch background upload and increase their productivity?

by: FidoMaster

INefficiency (not that I think anyone was going to mistake my typo)

by: iheartjacksparrow

"... the world's largest selection of inventory...." If eBay would actually enforce their ban on duplicate listings, they would find that their inventory counts had dropped by millions.

Can eBay Pull Off New Personalized Shopping Feature?

by: ebayout

Thu May 17 10:47:13 2018

Maybe someday ebay will be as proud of their coding as they are of their inventory.But that would mean paying more than a ham sandwich and a cup of tea for their contract IT people.

Can eBay Pull Off New Personalized Shopping Feature?

by: FidoMaster

Thu May 17 10:49:30 2018

"... the world's largest selection of inventory...." If eBay would actually enforce their ban on duplicate listings, they would find that their inventory counts had dropped by millions.

This is accurate. I invite any reader to replicate this test:

1) Search eBay for any seller with duplicate BIN items2) Use the "report item" link above the description to report duplicates3) Paste the reported items into a document so you can track them4) Check back periodically to see if anything has changed (days, weeks or months for GTC listings).

I have performed this more than a few times. NONE of the flagrant reported dupe listings have ever been removed.

Perhaps it takes dozens or even hundreds of reports for items to even show on anyone's radar for eBay to bother looking at. Even then it's questionable if they can be bothered to enforce their own policy.

Can eBay Pull Off New Personalized Shopping Feature?

by: RL15

Thu May 17 12:24:14 2018

another stupid move by the delusional ceo.

if only he would let buyers search for and find what they want not what fleecebay thinks they want.

Can eBay Pull Off New Personalized Shopping Feature?

by: geoffreymason

Thu May 17 12:31:06 2018

Ebay can't "pull off" anything. More blather.

Can eBay Pull Off New Personalized Shopping Feature?

by: pace306

Thu May 17 12:35:29 2018

Its just a cry for attention from ...

"see look at me ! We have a new function (that doesnt work) - we are the KINGS of ecommerce!!!!"

Maybe they could Facebook it too ! LMAO

Can eBay Pull Off New Personalized Shopping Feature?

by: RKTOYS

Thu May 17 12:36:30 2018

"If eBay would actually enforce their ban on duplicate listings, they would find that their inventory counts had dropped by millions."Very true. All you have to do is change a letter in the title and they sail right on through any supposed validation. But, seriously, I get the idea that _alot_ of inventory online is phantom inventory. That's why certain toys seem to hang around too long and then suddenly disappear from everywhere all at once. I know I had the same stuff, literally, listed at eBay, eCrater, Amazon, Bonanza, and WebStore, and many of the established stores have/had venue accounts as well.

I know when I get a large listing promotion, I duplicate items.

Can eBay Pull Off New Personalized Shopping Feature?

by: Rexford

Thu May 17 12:42:24 2018

Wenig whispering for Wall Street........again?

Can eBay Pull Off New Personalized Shopping Feature?

by: Silver Ice King

Thu May 17 13:00:30 2018

@Rexford

Not Whispering - Screaming to try and get the stock price back up above $40 so he can unload some more of those stock options before he leaves the company. I am sure he sees the writing on the wall or would not have taken the BOD position with GM while Ebay continues to flounder into oblivion.

I must admit I wonder how many of those option are able to be used if he leaves the company before they hit a certain price. That may not be a stipulation anymore but used to be a tactic that was used to stop the executives from using a lot of short term plans to boost the stock and then leaving the company shortly after the conversion of the options and the company with no long term plan in place. Now that I think about it, that seems to be exactly how Ebay has operated for the last 10+ years - except the CEO has unfortunately stuck around even after the fact:(

Can eBay Pull Off New Personalized Shopping Feature?

by: eXtinctBay

Thu May 17 13:04:06 2018

@RKToys

Yes, a lot of items on eBay are ''Phantom Inventory'' due to dropshippers.

The merchandise comes from one source, and when the inventory is sold down, POOF! The listings (at least from the ''agents'' who pay attention to inventory / stock levels) disappear.

I think eBay wants to clamp down on those who do not actually have the goods in hand and ready to ship. These many listings clog up the site with redundant JUNK. Why else did their counsel call drop ship artists crooks??

The Czar of this eBay program introduced a similar shopping feature to another EC website, and it was a colossal failure- the company went quickly belly up.

Again, if eBay just allowed all their items to be shown at all times (and also got rid of duplicate listings), buyers should easily find what they are seeking without the help of artificial intelligence online shoppers.

MORE INFORMATION ON THIS FEATURE:

by: leathermermaid8

Well I don't need a "personalized" store. The AI currently doing this just shows me more of the same things I bought or looked at, which we've all commented on, at one time or another.

I would really like to see current software working well. I'd like to search and NOT have the screen show 247 results but only a blank, frozen page for whatever reason.

It's good they want to pursue new ways to attract buyers but they have to work the bugs out of what they already have.

Shopping carts should allow you to combine shipping if the seller permits it. I'd like to lock in USA to shop instead of constantly having to change the default TO USA. Asked for all the time. Tired of them showing me only California listings when I shop for thread one week, and only the Carolinas the next. Gotta be sewing thread in NYC too, right? Dakota?

Oh, and the site needs to work well with all browsers.

Can eBay Pull Off New Personalized Shopping Feature?

by: Grady

Thu May 17 14:50:17 2018

These numerous articles are heavily biased towards Ebay. They rarely ever accurately depict how the platform actually performs (or fails to). If any of these authors knew how nothing on the site actually ever works, they may actually find that more newsworthy that these press releases that they cut and paste. Journalism has been dead for a long time. In other news, Disney buys Fox!

Can eBay Pull Off New Personalized Shopping Feature?

by: pace306

Thu May 17 15:24:38 2018

....... somehow we are back to the "evil dropshippers" ....

eBay encourages dropshipping - so Im suprised at everyones consternation on the topic.

Does it inflate eBays numbers - of courseDoes it fill eBays listings to make it look like eBay has a more complete catalog - yesIs it all smoke and mirrors - yes

Is any of this NEW? - no

eBay knows that it exists- thats why their counsel's slurs is as bizarre as it comes.

eBay gives large sellers discounts when they list 1000s of items - they know its all a "feed" and software. The software is set to keep that SKU "live" until the distributors inventory goes below a certain level, then it takes that listing off eBay. Thats why it dissapears so quickly.

In most cases, those items are real - they just arent in stock at that vendor.

Not that this has anything to do with eBay and its personalized shopping. ebay software is so bad as it is - they cant predict anything..... its a snooze fest for Wall Street - and the genius's there eat it up like theres no tomorrow ... dopes

Can eBay Pull Off New Personalized Shopping Feature?

by: Grady

Thu May 17 16:01:32 2018

Wall Street is just as rigged as professional sports

Can eBay Pull Off New Personalized Shopping Feature?

by: gramophone-georg

Thu May 17 16:36:47 2018

eBay can't even pull a sausage off a dinner plate, so I doubt they'll pull this off either.

Can eBay Pull Off New Personalized Shopping Feature?

by: pace306

Thu May 17 16:43:14 2018

eBay cant do this but they can:

Steal from you with impunityFill the vending machines on the 3rd flood with Mountain DewRefill the toilet paper in DWs executive washroomFuel up DWs private jetNOT show up at trade shows like CESBe anything like AmazonBe respectful of sellers

stuff like that

Oh and they CAN act like the trench coat mafia

Can eBay Pull Off New Personalized Shopping Feature?

by: ebayout

Thu May 17 18:11:48 2018

If all the needless pixels that ebay creates were people with the same message, there'd be mayhem.

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